Directions

Place the water into a large pot, and add 1 tablespoon salt , chopped cilantro (coriander), garlic, chicken legs, plantains, and 1 onion. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 20 minutes. Add the potatoes and cassava to the pot, and continue to cook for another 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

While the chicken and vegetables are cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the onions in the hot oil, and season with cumin, paprika, and salt. When the onions are limp, stir in the tomatoes, and remove from heat.

Spoon the chicken stew into bowls, and serve topped with the tomato onion sauce.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Mar 26, 2007

I'm from Barranquilla, Colombia currently living in the States. I made this recipe, but I added corn, cilantro, some Tabasco sauce and instead of cassava I added yucca. That's the way my family has made sancochos all the time. It's very tasty, I really liked it. I would really suggest replacing cassava with yucca. You can also try replacing the chicken with ribs(sancocho de costilla)

Most Helpful Critical Review

Aug 12, 2010

Tip: Cassava and Yucca are one and the same. You can find frozen Yucca (skin removed & par boiled) in specialty food stores. Goya is one brand that processes Yucca. Just thaw and remove the woody vein in the center before cooking.

Although this recipe is very good, it lacks the amount of cilantro that is normally found in traditional sancocho. My wife is hot off the boat from Colombia and when she makes it she uses close to one cup of cilantro and adds a spice blend similar to Sazon(Goya section) that puts it over the top.

Both Sancocho and Ajiaco are Colombian soups. BTW, Panama was part of Colombia until 1903, so it should not be surprising that we share that dish. There is also a Dominican Sancocho. In any form, all these dishes are delicious. Enjoy them!

I was very glad to find a good recipe for sancocho on here! It was one of my favorite things when I lived in Panama. Incidentally, several people are a bit confused with terminology, so I wanted to clear this up: cassava = yuca = tapioca. They are identical, just different names for the exact same plant. So you don't need to substitute yuca for cassava... it's the same! Also, it's "yuca" not "yucca". The later is a completely different plant and not related to the one used here.

This was a good soup. Not as hearty as the Caribbean version, the one from the Dominican Republic has more ingredients: Culantro, cilantro, more root vegetables, different meats, chicken, beef, sausage. I will upload my dominican version soon.

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.